Land of Lightning.
Raikage Building, conference room.
The Third Raikage sat at the head of the table with a commanding posture, a rare look of deep thought on his stern face.
The Kumogakure higher-ups seated on either side also wore frowns as they pondered.
"Regarding Iwagakure's recent crushing defeat in the Land of Grass, what are your thoughts, Tuli Yi?" The Third Raikage looked toward a bespectacled Kumogakure ninja.
Tuli Yi was Kumogakure's Raikage assistant, the Third Raikage's right-hand man, and one of the people he trusted most.
"My thoughts..." Tuli Yi adjusted his glasses.
"Based on the intelligence we've gathered, before their crushing defeat, Iwagakure actually won a fairly significant battle. At one point, they drove Jiraiya's forces into a desperate rout."
"From that intelligence, we can draw two conclusions. Iwagakure is not as weak as it previously appeared, and Konoha's actual strength is not as great as it once seemed."
"If Iwagakure were weak, they could never have defeated the ninja force led by Jiraiya in such a short time. And if Konoha were truly strong enough, they would not have suffered a crushing defeat before achieving a great victory."
The Third Raikage and the other Kumogakure higher-ups nodded in agreement.
"Although both sides won and lost battles, Iwagakure clearly suffered greater losses this time. Their ninja forces were devastated, and they withdrew directly from the Land of Grass," Tuli Yi said somewhat regretfully.
The war between Konoha and Iwagakure had begun abruptly and ended just as abruptly.
If Kumogakure had received the intelligence earlier, this would have been an excellent chance for them to stir up trouble. Handled properly, they could have made both Konoha and Iwagakure suffer crippling losses.
"So you think now is a good opportunity to attack Iwagakure?" the Third Raikage asked after considering